Lavender - choose 'Munstead Dwarf', won't get too big. Spiraea 'Gold Mound' gets less than a foot, has yellow leaves, pink flowers and is deciduous. Santolina would do well there too, but will need trimming over to maintain bushiness and shape twice a year (rather like the lavender).

Thanks. I have a few Lavender plants but I'm now sure what they are. Is there any way of telling? I've had a look at Spiraea 'Gold Mound' and quite like that, but I'm a bit uncertain about the Santolina as it says it needs protection in cold areas (we're up in Cheshire) and Mum doesn't want anything that has to be covered up at the front. She thinks it makes the garden ugly to passers by (which I suppose I can understand). Do you think it would need covering?

If its against a house wall, and in a southfacing situation (which is what you've described), I wouldn't have thought so, but if you're unhappy, choose Senecio (now called Brachyglottis) Sunshine instead - very hardy, but will need cutting back hard in spring to keep it in size - gets about 4 feet high and wide. A low growing Hebe (about 8/10 inches, spread up to 2 feet) which is reliably hardy and evergreen is H. 'youngii' - I don't know which ones you've already bought, but Hebes come in all shapes and sizes, and can look quite different from one another.

Thought of another one, though its deciduous - Berberis 'Bagatelle', forms a globe shape, red leaves all summer (if in sunshine). Tiny insignificant flowers, but very bright foliage makes up for that.

Oh, definitely no Berberis. Mum hates anything with thorns (ever since Dad planted rose bushes right next to her washing line). I have Hebe 'red edge' and 'green globe'. I have lots of Hebes myself and love them (as do the bees, and Mum loves anything that attracts bees). I'll have a look at Senecio and may well give Santolina a try anyway because it does look lovely :-)

Senecio isn't so lovely, if I'm honest - the flowers are horrid yellow daisies (personal dislike of mine) and its a sort of workhorse in the garden, filling gaps with grey foliage where you need a foil for other leaf colours, so not a lovely thing in its own right, in my opinion.

I read that if you keep it trimmed, it doesn't flower. I agree that it didn't look too good with those ugly yellow flowers on but the rest was nice and would look good amongst the stuff, I think. I liked the silvery colour.